Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against Dr. May Lau, a physician at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, for allegedly prescribing hormones to minors for gender transition purposes, violating the state’s ban on certain gender transition treatments for minors under Senate Bill 14. The lawsuit seeks more than $1 million in monetary relief and injunctions against Lau’s conduct. This marks the first enforcement action against a physician under SB 14.
The law, affirmed by the Texas Supreme Court in June, prohibits gender modification surgeries for minors and the prescription of puberty blockers. Violating physicians risk losing their medical licenses, and hospitals can be denied public funds for violations. Lau is accused of prescribing testosterone to teenage biological females shortly before the ban took effect and allowing them to refill the prescriptions multiple times. Paxton alleges that Lau used false diagnoses to cover up the treatments, violating a law against deceptive trade practices.
Major medical associations support gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth, while some have called for more research on the long-term effects of hormone therapy. The ACLU condemned Paxton’s lawsuit, arguing that doctors should not fear government targeting when providing medical care.
Paxton’s efforts to eliminate transgender health care for minors in Texas have raised concerns among Democrats, who argue that the ban infringes on parental rights and denies accepted medical care. The controversy surrounding this case highlights the ongoing debate over transgender rights and medical care for minors in Texas.
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